Yuruginai Shinrai
by AngolMoaChan
Summary: Sequel to Family. Revenge is ripe in the air as Arashi and Naruto discover new friends, new enemies, and a family secret that threatens to change the course of the Uzumaki forever. [NaruHina primary, SasuSaku secondary, PeinKonan tertiary]
1. Unbreakable Bonds

Yuruginai Shinrai

AngolMoaChan

**:3 (hides from rabid fangirls)**

**...ahahaha, hey guys! I know it's been a while...school has been eating my brain. XD **

**So. I finally came up with a somewhat good plot for the sequel, and **_**here it is! **_**Ta-daaaaa!**

**OH! Before I forget!**

**I**_**am **_**manga-caught-up. I know Arashi's real name, I also know about Tobi, et cetera...that will come into play later, I promise...(cue evil laughter)**

**BY THE WAY: THIS IS WHAT I'M DOING FOR NaNoWriMo :D National Novel Writers Month—that's 100 pages in 30 days. **

**(gulp)**

**I am going to die by the end of this.**

**I do not own Naruto...if I did...Sasori would have a nice **_**human**_**body... c8 (cough) I'm not a Sasori fangirl, **_**honestly...**_

**----------------------**

"I hope to serve you well, Nagato-sama." a soft voice stated, looking up at a man with bright orange hair falling over red-rimmed eyes.

He smirked slightly, "It is Pein now, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir"

"Excellent. I called you here to give you a mission. You are to retrieve the man who _dared_ imitate my position--as well as that betraying brat Tobi."

"I understand, Pein-sama" the woman bowed, her cobalt blue bangs falling low into her lidded eyes. She looked back up and met the gaze of Pein, the only user of the Rin'negan, eye to eye.

Pein's smirk grew. He turned back around, facing the blue haired woman, "I expect nothing less than perfection from you, Konan. Take the _new_recruit with you as well, understand?"

"Esukisu-san?" she questioned, "May I ask why?"

"She needs the training. And you may find her abilities as a good foil for your own."

"If you say so, Pein-sama." Konan bowed her head slightly, "I will leave now then."

Pein nodded, and she adjusted the paper flower in her hair before quickly disappearing in a rushing flap of paper.

--

Naruto was sitting on the counter of his kitchen, swinging his legs boredly when he heard a knock on the door. Excitedly, he jumped up and raced down the hallway to the door, then quickly opened it to see Arashi waving sheepishly, "Hehe...hey, Naruto-chan."

"Tou-san...? What are you doing here?"

"Escaping."

"Escaping?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, "From what?"

"Your kaa-san." Arashi scratched the back of his head, "It's best to let her have time to herself when she gets like that...it's a really long story"

"Okay...come on in." Naruto waved over his shoulder, turning around and heading back towards the kitchen. He walked in the room to find Hinata calmly flipping something in a frying pan. Sneaking up behind her, the orange shinobi wrapped his arms around her waist, "Good moooorning, Hina-chaaaan! What's for breakfast?"

Hinata 'eeped!'--She turned fabulous red and looked up, "Um, p-pancakes..."

Naruto grinned, "Awesome! Hey, that reminds me, tou-san is coming."

"A-Arashi-sensei? Why?"

"He was scared off by Kaa-san, apparently." he let go of her and smiled, saluting slightly, "I'll be on my best behavior, promise!"

Hinata giggled, "If you say so, Naruto-kun."

"I do say so!" Naruto pouted

"Keep the lover's quarrels to yourself, please." Arashi said from the doorway, lifting the red flaps over the kitchen door and grinning at the blushing couple, "Hey guys, where's Kuroi-chan?"

"Asleep" Hinata sighed, "I think she's coming down with something..."

"Ah, that's terrible...I'm sorry."

"It's okay, we'll take care of her" Naruto shared a small smile with Hinata, then turned to Arashi, looking a bit serious, "Otou-san, did you have something else you wanted to tell us?"

"I did." his expression quickly changed, and he sighed, pulling a small note from his pocket. Arashi handed the scroll to Naruto, "I received this in the mail yesterday."

Opening the scroll, he scanned the contents and his cobalt colored eyes widened. He handed it to Hinata and she read aloud. _"The Akatsuki is coming for the traitors._ The Akatsuki, eh..?"

"Uh-huh...how many of them are left?" Arashi asked, "Out of curiosity"

"Well..." Naruto started counting off on his fingers, "Hidan's underground somewhere, that stitchy-guy with the hearts is dead, that annoying blonde exploding guy is dead, Tobi turned out to be Obito-sempai...I don't know any of the other ones..."

"There is one more...Konan. She was one of Jiraiya-sensei's students, before I was." he replied, "I'm worried she may be out for revenge. Not to mention, they were bound to have recruited new people for those that died."

Hinata sighed, "This sounds like a lot of trouble..."

"It does." Arashi agreed, "We need to warn Obito as well. I'm sure he got the same message."

"Tou-san, is that why kaa-san is so mad at you?"

"...Yes, she's worried I won't be there for the baby." He sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter, "Sometimes I worry about that as well."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, tou-san! We'll kick those Akatsuki guys' asses!" Naruto pumped his fist triumphantly.

"I suppose you're right, Naruto" he grinned. Naruto had a way of bringing cheer into even the gloomiest of situations, "And hey, this time let your tou-san do the ass-kicking, okay? I miss being able to actually _fight."_

"Hehe, keep dreaming, otou-san, I am _way_stronger than you!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

Hinata shook her head, watching the father and son banter childishly: it was a welcome sight after the serious events that had become the small Uzumaki clan recently. Sighing, she flipped the pancake she was cooking with her spatula with a slight smile on her face. _It's really good to be home._

--

"Ugh…I'm so _bored…."_

Nanashi sighed to herself as she sat down at the table, her chin in her hand. She seemed to be staring down the doorway, her blue eyes narrowed in concentration at the paper screen as if she could see through them. Getting up, she grumbled under her breath, "Fine then. I can just walk to Ichiraku by myself."

Nanashi made her way to the door and started to open it when it slammed open, revealing Kotetsu and Izumo, both breathing heavily, "Nanashi-sama!"

"Oh…hello boys. What do you need?"

"Tsunade-sama…has a…message for you…" Kotetsu leaned on his knees and held out a thick red scroll to her. It was wrapped in gold foil and had a large blue spiral on the front.

Nanashi's blue eyes widened momentarily, then she took the scroll, examining the binding, "I see…you two are dismissed"

They both saluted and left in a puff of white smoke. Sitting down, Nanashi untied the white string around the scroll and began to read. She scanned the whole thing boredly, when something at the end caught her eye: letting out a gasp of shock, Nanashi hurriedly shut the scroll and started a series of handsigns. Biting her thumb until it bled, she placed it on the ground and there was a puff of smoke, revealing the small three tailed fox Sanbi, "How can I serve you Nanashi-sam…Nanashi-sama?"

Nanashi's face was pale: her hands were shaking as she wrote out a message and handed it to the little fox, "Take this to Arashi, _now."_

Sensing the urgency in her master's voice, Sanbi tilted her head towards her and disappeared out of the doorway, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Resting her head against the table, Nanashi ran her hands through her hair in frustration, "What the hell am I going to do…?"

--

Arashi and Naruto were currently engaged in a pressing (albeit childish) arm-wrestling match when there was a pounding noise on the door. Hinata got up, leaving the men to their ministrations and answered the door to see no one there. She looked up, then down and saw Sanbi, carrying the small scroll in her mouth, "Oh, hello Sanbi-san."

She gave a small tilt of her head in acknowledgement and trotted into the room. Dropping the scroll at Arashi's feet, Sanbi bowed her head, "Nanashi-sama requests your urgent attention"

"Urgent…? Oh, I hope it isn't a ramen craving or something…" he sighed, shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"No…Nanashi-sama was very pale when she was writing this: I believe something is very wrong."

Arashi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He took the note and read in Nanashi's messy scrawl,_ "__Otou-san has died…he left me the throne."_

Arashi's eyes immediately widened in horror. He stood up and dismissed Sanbi, then muttered under his breath "This is _not_good."

--

"I don't understand, Konan-san. Why did leader-sama request my help on this assignment?" A young woman stood in front of Konan, her hands poised on her hips, "I'm just a 'newbie' here after all"

Konan shrugged, her small shoulders rising up and then down in the universal gesture of 'I have no clue', "He told me nothing of it, only that your abilities would foil mine well, Azukari-san"

"I see…" the woman adjusted her glasses over her nose, reflecting a shaft of light past her bright green eyes. She calmly leaned over and removed a hypodermic needle from her elbow: the needle dripped something dark colored, then was thrown into a disposal. She stood up and brushed something off of her lap, "Well then, we should get going"

"I agree." Konan nodded, "It will take us a while to get to Konoha from here."

"Konoha…" Azukari adjusted her headband on her forehead, allowing the three wavy lines with a long slash drawn through them to shine brightly in the dim sunlight filtering through the room, "I haven't been there for a very long time. Not my home village, but I've heard it is a nice place to live."

"I suppose"

She smirked as she examined the ring on her finger: 'Kuro', the symbol read, and the ring was black, a stark contrast against her pale skin, "Well…it won't be when I'm through with it."

With a wordless nod, the two women took off, their red and black cloaks flapping ominously in the wind.

--------------------------

What does Nanashi's scroll mean? Who is this newcomer to the Akatsuki? And why did Naruto and Arashi get into an arm wrestling fight? All these questions will be answered (except maybe the last one. XD) in the next chapter! Next time on Yuruginai Shinrai…

"Uzumakagure. My homeland. It's an old deserted country: it died out as a major village years ago…my otou-san was the last thing left" Nanashi stared grimly into a bowl of ramen, her blue eyes downcast.

"_It means I am supposed to go back…and leave Konoha forever."_

_--_

**The suspense! The drama! The---(is shot by angry fangirls)**


	2. Secrets and Lies

Yuruginai Shinrai

AngolMoaChan

**(wave) Hey everybody! On to the next chapter:D**

**Special thanks to my dear onee-san, **_**HaraStrife, **_**who wrote me the saddest Nanashi fic ever. D: I love her for it anyway, though...she abuses poor Nana more than I do. XD**

**I do not own Naruto. If I did, Tobi's voice would be squeakier and less retarded. XD (I love his retard voice though: and the fact that he's a smartass. XDDDD Just makes me love DeiTobi even more.)**

**--**

The door to the Uzumaki estate slammed open and revealed four people: a very confused Naruto and Hinata, a half-asleep Kuroi, and a horrorstruck looking Arashi, "Nana-chan!"

Almost immediately, Nanashi leapt up from her position at the kitchen table and hugged him, burying her head in his chest, "What am I going to do..?"

"What's going on, sensei?" Hinata asked, shushing Naruto before he could say anything rude, "You can tell us."

She looked over at Hinata and her eyes softened: the Hyuga heiress had a way of calming everyone around her, no matter how hysterical they were, "…You guys better sit down."

--

"_Sempai! Deidara-sempai!"_

_A grumpy looking man looked up, blue eyes softening slightly at the sight of him, "What do you want, un?"_

"…_A hug?"_

"_Fine…" the blonde muttered and wrapped him in a hug, resting his head against the other man's chest._

_The memory quickly faded and was replaced with a tall, ominous looking man. His eyes spun red: he had longish black hair and had an aura of death about him, "You little brat"_

_Obito stared at the man, squinting at him with his only eye, "…Excuse me?"_

"_How dare you. We had a deal. You stay with the Akatsuki and I allow you to stay with your precious Deidara-sempai" The man said the last part of his sentence with a sneer, clearly condescending of his dear sempai. Obito felt his hackles raise: he glared at the man with as much intensity as he could with one eye, "Don't you dare look at me like that. You know exactly what I am talking about."_

"_No I don't! Who are you?!"_

"_Who am I?" the man smirked widely and replied, "I am Madara Uchiha."_

Obito shot awake and nearly fell out of his bed, his single eye wide in shock. His heart banged against his ribcage and he panted, trying to catch his breath, "Madara Uchiha…"

The name rang a bell somewhere in his head: Obito thought hard about this man and his striking resemblance to Sasuke. Shaking his head, he climbed back into his bed, 'It was nothing…I should just go back to sleep.'

--

Nanashi laid out a large map on the table in her kitchen for the group to see. She pointed at a tiny island in the bottom right corner, shaking her head, "I can hardly believe this. This is Uzumakagure…it's where I used to live."

"Uzumakagure…?" Naruto folded his arms, a petulant look on his face, "I don't get it that's not one of the shinobi countries…"

"It _was._" Nanashi corrected, "You need to work on your history, Naru-chan. Uzumakagure was a little country, but we were pretty powerful. The Kazuma clan pretty much ran it: we did finances and everything. My brother and I were the last heirs of the clan though, and after Ichirou-niisan died and I left, tou-san had no one to inherit all the power, and the country's forces began to dwindle. Eventually all the shinobi left and went to other places, other countries, and some even became criminals."

"You were one of those people, right kaa-san?"

"Yup. I was a runaway, remember?" she folded up the map and set it aside, "Apparently, the elders decided even though I left, I should get the clan…I am obliged to it."

"As in forced…" Hinata said quietly, her head down.

"Exactly. Unless someone else is willing to take the throne, I _have _to. That means one thing…I have to give up my status as a Konoha shinobi and go back to Uzuma."

The shocked silence reverberated through the room: everyone stared at Nanashi wide eyed. Naruto was the first to speak up, his passionate emotions quickly striking through, "What the _hell, _kaa-san?! You can't just leave!"

"I don't want to…" she shook her head, "I grew up here…you have no idea how little of a desire I have to leave this life."

"I do." Hinata said quietly, and Nanashi immediately gave her a sympathetic smile. She squeezed Kuroi's hand softly, "We should find an alternate, sensei."

"I don't know…" Nanashi hoisted a small box onto the table, and opened it. Inside were a few objects: she pulled out a headband and a photograph and held them out for examination by the other three, "My brother's headband and a photograph of my family. I can try to tell you who's still there, but I don't know…"

"That headband…" Naruto stared at it, his eyebrows furrowed, "Where have I seen that before?"

Suddenly, Kuroi tugged hard on his shirtsleeve. He blinked and looked down, "Kuro-chan…?"

She gave him an almost needy look: Naruto instantly understood and asked, "Kaa-san, do you have any paper?"

Nanashi nodded. She got up to get it, but Arashi stopped her, firmly placing his hands on her shoulders, "Sit here and don't move. You're pregnant, this is way too much strain for one day."

"What?! Arashiiii! No fair! It's only two months, I'm not tired yet!" she whined, pouting up at him.

"Tough" he grinned and went to her desk, pulling out some paper and an ink brush. He walked back to the table and placed it on top: Kuroi jumped up in the chair and began to write. She drew three wavy lines, then a slash through them, followed by a circle with a triangle inside of it. That drew nothing from the group: Kuroi let out a small sigh and drew a cloud.

Immediately, she saw the light of recognition in Naruto's eyes, "Akatsuki! That religious guy! Ohhh, shit, what was his name again? Hi…Hi…"

"Hidan?!" Nanashi gasped, her blue eyes wide, "As in the jashinist, Hidan?"

"Yeah, that was it!"

"…I know him! He was a monk at the temple near my house…always cursing. " She replied, a pensive look on her face, "Uzuma is associated with the Akatsuki…?"

Kuroi nodded and tapped the picture, then drew two lines next to it. Nanashi blinked, "…Two people?"

She nodded again and drew a downward facing arrow with a circle on top. Naruto snapped his fingers immediately, "So there's two people and the other person is a girl, right Kuro-chan?"

"Do you know her name, Kuroi?" Arashi asked, leaning down to her level so they made eye contact.

She shook her head and began to write, "**Nii-san always talked to her. He said she was an artist. We had a lot of pretty pictures she drew in our old house"**

"An artist, huh…? _Another _one?" Naruto groaned, "I thought the blonde guy was the last one."

"I guess not. Well…" Nanashi sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, "I think a trip to Uzuma is necessary. We could gather information, not to mention I could try to smooth this heir thing over with my family."

"That's true…"

"Go home and pack. We'll meet you two at the gate." Arashi said seriously

"Got it!" the two jonin chorused and took Kuroi's hands, before quickly disappearing in a puff of smoke.

--

_Madara Uchiha...?_

_The name reverberated through the dark space, a powerful echo filling Obito's ears. The tall man smirked, "The one who destroyed Konoha so many years ago with the Kyuubi, the one who created the Uchiha clan, the original user of the Sharingan...shall I continue?_

_Obito's only eye widened: it struck a chord immediately, "The man at the Valley of the End...the one who fought the Nidaime..."_

_He nodded, "You are a bit slow on the uptake, Uchiha."_

_"Why are you here?!"_

_"Because I am a part of you."_

_"A...part of me...?"_

_"You think your body is only your own? Foolish child. You would've died that day underneath those boulders if I didn't come to your rescue." Madara sat back in a large chair that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, folding his hands in his lap, "Unfortunately, immortality is not obtainable with one body. This body you are seeing now is my original form. The body I will be using shortly is __**yours.**__"_

_"I won't let you!" Obito clenched his fists tightly at his sides, growling, "You can't just take me over whenever you want to!"_

_"Oh, but I can." his smirk grew larger, "Now then, you will be a good little container, and I will continue to let you out around these so-called 'friends' of yours."_

_"No! I won't--"_

_Suddenly, Obito's world went black._

_--_

Sitting up in his bed, the black-spiky haired man flexed his fingers experimentally, "Well...I feel so much better now. I suppose it is time I go talk to Pein."

With that said, he left, disappearing from the room in a rush of wind.

Obito's goggles were still lying on the bedside table.

--

Naruto squeezed Hinata's hand as they stood in front of the gate with Arashi and Nanashi, "Relax, Hina-chan. We'll take good care of Kuroi on this mission"

"I hope you're right…" she looked over at the small girl beside her, her eyes narrowed in worry.

"Aww, come on, Hina-chan! Don't doubt the next Hokage!" he grinned brightly, striking a heroic pose, "I'm _always _right!"

"I-if you say so" she giggled, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Okay you two, enough flirting." Arashi grinned, "Let's get going, shall we?"

Nanashi nodded, "I just wanna get this over with…I don't want to see the others again…"

"We'll be there with you, kaa-san! It'll be fine."

She nodded, biting her lip as she stared out into the leafy forest surrounding Konoha, "I suppose you're right."

Nanashi gave a small nod to Arashi, and the group leapt into the forest, off into the dawn light.

--

**:D**

**A slightly creepy new chapter, yes? This is the technicalities part of the story: my action fans will be very pleased at the next few chapters. :) I'm trying to cater to everyone's needs here, so suggestions are nice. However, know that I may not write them in—I've already written a good chunk of this story out on paper, so if it screws with those ideas, then I can't write it. If it doesn't, I will try my best to fit it in. :D**

**Japanese:**

**Nidaime: **'second leader'—the Second Hokage.

Next time on Yuruginai Shinrai… 

"_I'm a bit depressed you don't recognize me, Naruto Uzumaki. I came from the country you were named after, after all." The woman tilted the brim of her plain hat towards Naruto, extending a small smile, "Well, I suppose that is all right. We'll be meeting again in the future…you can count on it."_

-

See you all next week:D 

**AMC**


	3. Family Reunion

Yuruginai Shinrai

AngolMoaChan

**X-X**

**Hey everybody. AMC here is…dead. Grounded dead. Thus the reason why I haven't posted in Jashin knows how long. I'm so sorry! On Monday, my mother snuck up to my computer while I was asleep and deleted **_**every single file **_**from my baby, then deleted my user! Today though, she let me on to do an English paper, and I created my own user cause this is a really old computer and I can get away with having one. 8D (huggles pile of junk she calls a computer) Now then! On to my "English paper" (COUGH AMC IS A BAD BAD PERSON COUGH)**

**I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would be more stupid Tobi. (ALTHOUGH STUPID TOBI IS BACK IN THE MANGA NOW AND COHERENT WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW HAPPY I AM. (flails spastically)**

**--**

Naruto grinned to himself as he leapt out of the forest, landing on the ground then quickly allowing Kuroi to slide off his back, "Is this it, kaa-san?"

Nanashi nodded, taking a deep breath as she looked up at the red archway on the road in front of them. Its scarlet paint was peeling and the kanji written on the sign was fading away, but she read out the familiar kanji anyway, "_Uzumaki."_

Silence passed over the group as they studied the area, each person looking over the decrepit old village. Buildings that once stood proud over the area were now crumbling, their foundations destroyed by the great shinobi wars. However, much to the party's surprise, their seemed to be a festival of some kind going on down the street. Nanashi walked forward into the village, waving a hand over her shoulder, "Come on you slowpokes! This is amazing…it's been so long…"

"Kaa-san!" Naruto called, running up ahead from Hinata and Kuroi, his blue eyes focused curiously on Nanashi, "What's all that down there?"

"The Festival of the Kami, of course…they used to have them every year when I was a kid. My family hosted them; this must be my father's way of welcoming me." Rolling her eyes, Nanashi continued to walk down the pathway, a slight bounce to her step, "Well, might as well enjoy it while we're here. Come on everyone!"

--

Naruto walked down the vendor-lined path of the road, holding Hinata's hand gently. The festival was not very large: however, it was crowded, and he swore to himself that he wouldn't lose either of his girls in this huge throng. Naruto squeezed Kuroi's other hand and grinned, "So, ladies, are either of you two wanting anything to eat? Kaa-san and Tou-san went off to buy some stuff, I think…"

"Let's have dango. Kuroi would like it." Hinata gave a small smile towards Kuroi, who nodded and blushed.

"Great! Dango it is! Now let's go-" Naruto turned around, walking backwards as he talked to Hinata and Kuroi. He bumped straight into someone, eliciting a small, girly "Oof!" from the figure.

Naruto turned around and started to apologize immediately, "Ahh, I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz!"

"It's no trouble."

The orange shinobi looked up as he heard the woman's soft tone-it was unlike anything he had ever heard, a slight musical lilt to her pitch. Immediately his blue eyes widened as he took in the person he had bumped in to.

Straw hat with bells.

Black and red cloak with clouds.

"In fact, Naruto Uzumaki, I'm glad you bumped into me." The girl's voice changed immediately, to something a bit sinister.

_Shit. Akatsuki?! Here! She wouldn't attack me in such a crowded place! Would she…? _Naruto immediately backed in front of Kuroi, his arms thrown out wide in front of her as Hinata quickly assumed a jyuken stance, "Stay back!"

"Oh relax. I'm not here to attack you…not yet, anyway. You're Itachi's jinchuuriki, not mine." She waved a hand nonchalantly, "It's your father I'm looking for, actually. Although I'm sure my partner has run into him already…"

Naruto clenched his fists, growling softly, "I can't just let you walk away."

"Oh, well, I can do that to you. I'll be seeing you…"

Suddenly, in a flash of black, she was behind him, the bells on her hat jingling softly as her feet alighted on the ground once more. "Azukari is my name. It's an honor to see you and I'm sure we will meet again…Naruto Uzumaki."

As the orange shinobi turned around to hit her, she disappeared as if she had never been there. Naruto groaned as he kneeled down to Kuroi's level. "Man…that was just annoying…are you okay, Kuroi?"

She nodded, latching onto Naruto's pant leg immediately. Digging through her small yukata, Kuroi procured her writing pad and pen. She began to scribble on the paper, then held it out for Naruto and Hinata's inspection, "**That was her!"  
**

"Her? The girl we talked about this morning?" Hinata asked

Kuroi nodded, **"The one who drew the pretty pictures. She always played with me whenever she came over to talk to nii-san."**

"We better find otou-san and kaa-san and tell them about this. Tou-san said they were going to her family's house, right?"

"Yes…"

"Okay. We better hurry up and get there then!"

--

When the small group arrived at the house marked 'Kazuma', they were met with a cacophony of sounds, mostly yelling and the occasional loud cracking noise. Naruto quickly picked up on Nanashi's voice and headed towards the door, sneaking up beside it to take a listen.

"I ran away because you and Ryou were going to kill me! Why the hell would you think I'd want to come back?!" A voice, clearly Nanashi's, rang out into the brisk air, echoing across the hallways of the estate.

Another voice came, this one cold and unfeeling. "It is not a case of what you want, Nanashi, but what you are obligated to do."

'_That must be her dad…' _Naruto thought, trying to peer inside. He couldn't see much: just his mother's back and her clenched fists, balled up so tightly blood was dripping down her palm onto the floor.

"I don't give a fuck what I'm 'obligated' to do!" the blonde woman growled, "I've finally been reunited with my family, my _real _family, and nothing, and I mean _nothing_, you can do will make me leave them!"

"We'll see about that."

There was a terse silence between the two, and suddenly, Nanashi asked, "Where's Arashi?"

"Being…introduced to the family."

Another silence. Had Hinata not have been squeezing his hand hard, Naruto would have left in a screaming rage by now, probably to launch himself at this other guy. _Like mother like son_, Hinata thought with a small smile.

"What the hell did you do wi-"

Suddenly, the other man was up, and a kunai was pressed against Nanashi's jugular as he growled so softly that Naruto had to lean forward to hear. "That _man _is not accepted in our family, do you understand? He is _dead_ to us."

"…tch!" Nanashi grabbed his wrist. "Let go of me! If he's dead to you…then so am I!"

The other man was silent. Then he dropped the knife and made a handsign, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto jumped up and ran to Nanashi, "Kaa-san!"

She jumped, slightly surprised to see the three of them, and whirled around. A warm smile grew over her whiskered cheeks and she enveloped all three of them in a hug, "I'm glad you all are safe."

"We're glad you're safe too!" Naruto smiled, then looked up at her worried, "But what about tou-san?"

Nanashi grinned. "…No one stands a chance against your father when he's pissed off, even the '_great and mighty Kazuma clan'"_

To say "no one stands a chance" was an understatement.

At the moment, four armed guards wearing ANBU masks were on the floor unconscious, and the fifth was being held tightly, a three-pronged kunai against his throat. Arashi growled, "Tell me where she is. _Now."_

"I-I-I-I-I do-do-don't know, sir, I'm s-s-s-s-sorry!"

Arashi frowned. He gently hit the man in the back of the neck and removed the kunai: the masked guard fell limp in his arms. Arashi allowed the guard to fall to the floor and huffed, brushing dirt from his jacket. "Great. Fantastic."

"Wow, so cruel, Arashi" came a voice from the doorway. The blonde man whirled around to see a woman with a paper rose in her cobalt blue hair, wearing an Akatsuki cloak. "It has been a long time."

"Konan…" he muttered, falling back into a fighting position.

Konan held her hands up and said quietly, eyes never leaving Arashi's face, "I am here to warn you this isn't the only _mess _you will be dealing with…my partner and I plan fully on taking the jinchuurikis, and we will kill anyone in our way. Including you."

A shadow crossed Arashi's face: his brow furrowed as he spoke. "Fine, if that's how it is."

"It is. I also came…to tell you that my partner is rather volatile. You would much rather meet with me than her" Konan turned on her heel, her voice delicate but sharp, like a piece of glass. "Watch your back. You never know where we are."

Arashi gritted his teeth as she disappeared in a flurry of white paper. Something fluttered to the floor among the papers, something light pink and vaguely invitation-shaped. He walked over and picked it up, then turned it over.

"_Sayuri Akasuna's Portrait Shop" _he read off, raising an eyebrow at the familiar title. "I better investigate this."

Arashi opened the door and left the room, calling for Nanashi the whole way.

--

**(pants) FINALLY…DONE….DAMN WRITERS BLOCK….**

**Hope you enjoyed it :3**


	4. Pieces Fall In

Yuruginai Shinrai

AngolMoaChan

**Hello all! Hopefully my updates will get a LOT faster now that my plot bunny has reawakened. (You can all thank Sweeney Todd for that XD)**

**Naruto doesn't belong to me. If it did Deidara would wear a schoolgirl uniform at least once a week. XD**

* * *

Azukari coughed as she opened the door to a dusty old building. She looked around, a faint smile on her features as she took in the atmosphere of the room: two chairs, a small sink, several bottles of black ink and a black lacquer case. Canvas hung across the walls, pictures of famous men and woman lining the tiny room. The petite brunette walked through the shop and picked up a dust rag, grinning mildly to herself. "Sayuri Akasuna's Portrait Shop. It's been a long time…"

Azukari paused as she reached a shelf. She retrieved a small photograph and blew the dust off, revealing a picture of a redheaded man and the proprietor of the shop. Azukari brushed her thumb against the man's side of the picture, her eyebrows knitting together pensively.

"Esukisu-san?"

The voice made the brunette jump; she turned around, holding the picture to her chest, "Oh. It's you, Konan-san."

A look of amusement crossed Konan's face as she swept gracefully across the wooden floor, walking over to Azukari and looking at the photo. "A kunoichi like yourself, not noticing I was present? You must have been lost in something deep."

The missing-nin blushed faintly, her cheeks turning a deep black color. "I suppose…"

"Is this the man you were speaking of, Esukisu-san? The one you loved?"

She nodded, holding out the photograph. "It's been years since his death…"

Konan took the iron-wrought frame carefully and examined the picture inside. Shock momentarily crossed her face, and slowly, the woman asked, "Is this…?"

Azukari tilted her head slightly, showing confusion. Konan shook her head and handed her the photo. "It's nothing. So, this was your shop?"

She nodded, a smile gracing her lips. "It was. My parents and I both, that is."

"So you're Sayuri Akasuna, then?"

A dark look crossed Azukari's face. She looked to the side and muttered, her tone even, "No. That woman is dead. Its Azukari now, Azukari Esukisu. And…she will have her revenge."

Konan was silent, pondering the situation. Things had just gotten a lot thornier.

* * *

Nanashi frowned as she looked over the pink paper, her brow furrowed. "Sayuri Akasuna, huh? Yeah, I remember her. She was one of my good friends…didn't get to come outside very often, though"

Arashi leaned forward, fingers interlaced. The group was seated in a small restaurant, each pondering the little paper. Naruto frowned, scratching the back of his head. "That name sounds really familiar, tou-san…really familiar…"

Hinata looked down at Kuroi, watching her draw a picture. She sighed softly, then turned back to Naruto, asking, "The whole name or just…?"

"The Akasuna part." Arashi and Naruto said at the same time, staring intently at the paper.

Nanashi took a sip of her tea and said softly, "It's the first name for me. That last name—no, she was Sayuri Tsumi. I remember. She was…like me, always running away from home."

"Running away? Are all the parents in Uzuma just bad?" Naruto asked, squinting.

Nanashi laughed a little, "Not really. Sayu-chan's were worse than mine though. They used her as a test subject."

"A…test subject?" all three of them asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah. I don't know much about it. All I know is, she had a bunch of scars, all up and down her arms." The blonde woman traced lines up and down her own forearm, "And they looked like injection sites. Poor thing. "

The group was silent, lost in deep thought. Hinata was the first to speak her up, her voice hoarse. "That's…awful…"

Arashi nodded, looking to the side. He turned back to Nanashi and asked, "Do you know anything about the shop?"

Nanashi shook her head. "They must have put that up after I left. The least we can do is check it out."

"Yeah…"

The tense atmosphere hung over the group like a fog, thicker than pea soup. Naruto cleared his throat, and asked, a grin plastering over his whiskered cheeks, "Hey, hey, why so glum? We've got a lead! I think that calls for more ramen!"

For the first time since the afternoon, the whole family laughed.

* * *

"Pein, we have a problem."

A flickering holograph of Konan appeared in front of Pein's desk just as he had began conversing with Madara Uchiha, the founder of the Uchiha clan, who was lounging like a cat along one of the small couches in Pein's office. He sat up fully and nodded in her direction, then turned to Pein and said, "Go ahead."

Pein nodded, folding his hands and resting his chin on them, pose full of authority. "What is it, Konan?"

"You already knew that our new recruit had changed her name, correct? And that she lived here, in Uzumakagure?"

"Yes, of course. Get to the point, Konan."

"Her name from before was Sayuri Akasuna."

Pein's red-rimmed eyes widened momentarily, the last name striking a chord. "Akasuna…"

"I saw a picture of her husband. Pein, it's _him_, all right. She's after revenge for whoever killed him." Konan looked directly at Pein, never blinking. "This entire mission could go awfully, Pein. This woman is starved to avenge him."

Madara chuckled suddenly, an odd sound that drew both Pein and Konan's attention. He smirked slightly, "My, my. That old puppet never dies. Let her partake in her revenge, Konan. It should be amusing, to say the least."

"Yes…Madara-sama." She murmured, sounding doubtful.

"Besides, I've been itching to see what this new recruit can do. And there's nothing that shows off someone's power like vengeance."

Pein nodded slightly, turning back to Konan. "You are dismissed."

The blue-haired woman nodded and disappeared, the hologram flickering out in the light. Pein turned to Madara and asked, "Are you sure about this, Madara-sama?"

He nodded, resting his head on his fist. "I am. It'll prove truly how worthy the new recruit is." Madara held out his hand, examining the purple ring placed on his gloved thumb. "Akasuna no Sasori. I suppose your ideal on art was true. You really never died."

* * *

Sasuke stared at Sakura over a cup of tomato soup. He knew, at this point in their relationship, that Sakura only broke out her homemade recipe for tomato soup (and that ridiculously low cut top) when she wanted something. The pink haired woman smiled lightly and asked, "Can I go to a hot spring and get my picture painted?"

"…Your…picture painted?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah! I got this flyer in the mail." Sakura held out a light pink paper, smiling, "For Sayuri's Portrait Shop. I've always wanted to get a picture professionally painted, and supposedly this girl is the best of the best."

A heavy sigh. Sasuke waved a hand, returning to the cup of soup. "Go ahead, I don't care."

"Yay!" the pink haired woman squealed and jumped up from the table. She pecked Sasuke's cheek and flounced upstairs, calling, "I'm gonna go get packed!"

The Uchiha heir went bright red and looked away, rubbing his cheek with a scowl. "Bah…"

* * *

Azukari smiled to herself as she finished cleaning the shop. Everything was falling into place.

* * *

**And I shall end there! Mwaaaaahahaha! So many ideas, so little time! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to read and review!**

**AMC**


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